Being a follower of the Christian pop duo for KING & COUNTRY, or even having a shred of interest in their type of music, seems to help appreciating the drama called “Unsung Hero.” For the rest of the viewers, it can be viewed as a dull-minded feel-good story of nobleness achieving victory against great odds, as well as an awkward tribute to the concept of family.
And what a family it is. The large Australian family found at the heart of the story provides not just the basis for the tale but also the machinery required in moving it. Joel Smallbone, who is part of the singing ensemble, womb-brother Luke is a co-producer and co-director along with Richard L. Ramsey. He also plays the role of her father, David Smallbone, who was a music manager.
David in the early 1990’s moved from Sydney to Nashville, with his pregnant wife and six kids hoping that they will become famous in America. (A younger actor, Diesel la Torraca, plays Joel as a child who has an innate desire to be on stage.) Stick with us through to the end credits when it is revealed just why many members of the family make fleeting appearances throughout the film.
However this is not a music biopic or origin story even though the storyline mostly revolves around the conflict of the older sister on whether she could secure a record deal with her wealth saving potentially pure voice, direction which ails the family financially.
(Spoiler: yes, she does and becomes Grammy winner Rebecca St. James; as well, for KING & COUNTRY has won numerous Grammys). This is, as the subtitle makes clear, about the individual who endured the breakdown of the family structure herself – the matriarch Helen Smallbone, played with hope and genuineness by Daisy Betts.
“Unsung Hero” chronicles all the upsides and downsides of the Smallbone family coping in an alien environment, unless for Helen and her faith, who is always the rock of the family. The casting of Kirrilee Berger as Rebecca is an especially smart move as she bears a striking resemblance to Betts making believable the transgenerational bond of the two women.
Even before they set food in the church in their neighborhood for the first time, and before the well-meaning and benevolent people come forward to help them in their times of trouble, we know these good-looking and gifted individuals they are going to be alright. It all serves a very uplifting purpose to the Christian market that it is intended to and is not quite exciting in regards to storyline.
What is striking in addition to the above though is that there are some real, complimentary whelming stones in form of loss and hurt that is concealed beneath the banal engagement direction and fragmented structure of the script. The situation degenerates from bad to worse. Ego breaks out.
David’s enmity is compounded with the fact that they travelled halfway across the world, rented a house to live, and wouldn’t get any jobs imminently either. He practices some form of violence on his spouse and a fellow churchgoer, who has been too sweet in his cohabiting in my overjoyed perky wife’s shadow played by Hallmark channel and GAC darling Candace Cameron Bure. For instance, David receives a slap across the face from Helen, who rarely loses her cool.
Such emotional honesty is useful for this narrative but ‘unsung hero’ being a drama, sports and edification, such events were tempered. Still, there is huge absence of character development on the rest of the kids, other than the parents and Rebecca, who happen to be the only children for whom the character development was quite well done; the other kids are all kind of a perky blur. Joel Smallbone has a good screen presence but not narrowed into easy roles for an actor as I am sure he was in, in a difficult role must be a bear, with Ramsey he directed is all rather ordinary.
Yes, the 90s costume on the other hand is remarkable, at least in that respect, so many 90s awful sweaters being worn, yes, yes, yes and even secular pop music 1990-ish actual songs Jesus jules and seal feature in the film, however the lyrics are a bit over the head for the time frame.
Most of all, “Unsung Hero” does what David Smallbone himself didn’t do: It avoids taking risks.
Watch free movies like on Fmovies
